Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist - Patient Aligned Care Team)

Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees of the VA and to past/current/upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) graduates. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

This position requires expertise in pharmacotherapy, medication management, and patient-centered care, with a focus on optimizing drug therapy outcomes and ensuring safe, effective, and economical medication use. The incumbent works independently and collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams, participates in clinical telehealth services, and contributes to quality improvement initiatives. The role involves direct patient care, education, and consultation, as well as participation in clinical research and policy development. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist serves as a resource for other healthcare professionals and is committed to supporting the VA's mission of delivering high-quality care to Veterans.

Major Duties

• Provides medication management for patients in outpatient PACT pharmacotherapy services.
• Serves as a mid-level provider to initiate, modify, or discontinue medications based on clinical guidelines and patient needs.
• Evaluates drug therapy for other providers, offering recommendations for safe and effective medication use in primary care, anticoagulation, and cardiology areas.
• Works collaboratively with physicians, nurses, and other health care providers to optimize patient-centric outcomes.
• Conducts patient interviews, reviews medical records, and assesses medication adherence, side effects, and therapeutic outcomes.
• Documents clinical interventions and recommendations in the patient's computerized medical record.
• Reports medication errors and adverse drug events within 24 hours of discovery.
• Participates in PACT team clinic meetings and provides clinical telehealth services as assigned.
• Implements Medication Use Committee policies and educates staff on medication safety and quality standards.
• Reviews and manages medication lists, reconciles discrepancies, and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Participates in continuing education, in-service training, and clinical research within the medical center.
• Provides highly specialized education and training to other healthcare professionals, with emphasis on chronic pain management and advanced pharmacotherapy.
• Assists in the training and orientation of pharmacy students, interns, residents, and new staff.
• Maintains a safe working environment by intervening when necessary and documenting safety incidents.
• Demonstrates expert knowledge of regulatory and quality standards for pharmacy practice.
• Serves as a resource for policy development, quality improvement, and clinical project initiatives.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Work Schedule: Work schedule may be rotational and can include weekends and holidays, based on staffing requirements and organizational needs.???????
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 40193F
Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.
• Foreign Education: Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT).
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment above, the following criteria must be met:

• Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower GS-12 (Full Performance Level) grade level.
• Assignments: Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

GS -13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist: The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy.
Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
• Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
• Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience:
Highly desirable qualifications include completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY-1 residency, a PGY-2 residency in Ambulatory Care, or at least one year of clinical practice under an approved scope of practice. Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy (BCPS) is strongly preferred as evidence of advanced clinical expertise.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination/evaluation as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination/evaluation is administered by VA Occupational Health. This position requires moderate lifting up to 44 lbs., carrying objects up to 15 lbs., frequent reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, hands and legs, use of cranes and motor vehicles, walking & standing up to 8 hours, bending and climbing and able to hear whisper. The incumbent must be physically, emotionally and mentally stable in order to efficiently perform the essential functions of this position without hazard to themselves or others.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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